The white van man It was a British colleague of mine who first came up with the term 'white van man' and its underlying meaning. The phenomenon of the van driver who expertly ignores the traffic rules is now widely known to most road users. In our country too, public opinion seems to be definitively against the reckless driving style of many van drivers, with all the damage to their image that entails. But does that perception also correspond to reality, or is it just a matter of proverbial 'bad apples' that poison the fruit basket? The answer undoubtedly lies somewhere in between. Is it naive to think that your employees will de facto treat their van like a good father? Perhaps. Fleet managers are therefore increasingly turning to track & trace systems to tighten control over their fleet. It is of course true that company vehicles and their drivers are often the calling card of a company. Moreover, they are billboards that can only do negative advertising, because no one will remember that courteous driver from company x when he or she wants to hire a plumber or contractor. The aggressive driver from company y, on the other hand, will remember all the more.